bild
St Peter's square was designed and built by Bernini between 1656 and 1667. The square is made up of two different areas. The first has a trapezoid shape, marked off by two straight closed and convergent arms on each side of the church square. The second area is elliptical and is surrounded by the two hemicycles of a four-row colonnade, because, as Bernini said, “considering that Saint Peter's is almost the matrix of all the churches, its portico had to give an open-armed, maternal welcome to all Catholics, confirming their faith; to heretics, reconciling them with the Church; and to the infidels, enlightening them about the true faith.”.The square has a capacity to accommodate approximately 400'000 people during special occasions such as Easter celebrations or during the election of a new Pope..© gildas de la monneraye (KEYSTONE/Gildas de la Monneraye)